You will soon be able to measure objects with your iPhone camera using Augmented Reality

Apple’s Tim Cook has been unusually candid in recent months about some of what lies ahead in the company’s normally secretive pipeline. Besides empowering the Internet of Things (IoT) as part of a home automation play, Apple has invested substantial R&D resources in developing the best Augmented Reality (AR) experience possible, the way only Apple can.

Using Apple’s ARKit, which gives developers a means to leverage the AR resources Apple has embedded within the next version of iOS, Laan Labs has developed a wonderful proof of concept product that turns your phone’s camera into a realtime measurement tool. The Next Web reports:

To accomplish this, AR Measure factors in the distance between various points in 3D space to help you measure any physical object by simply using your phone’s camera.

All it takes to put the virtual ruler to use is point your camera, select your desired starting point and pull your phone away from it. AR Measure will then calculate the distance between your starting and end points – sort of like a virtual measuring tape.

Want to see it in action? Video below:

The app won’t be available until iOS 11 is released to the public later this year.

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Published by Brian L. Hill

As Director of Consulting Services for Xpera Group, Brian L. Hill connects clients to the diverse range of experts, technical specialists, tools and other resources that the firm has to offer in order to solve complex building performance issues. He is also the editor and publisher of AECforensics.com, which dissects the latest news and information impacting quality and risk management in the built environment.
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